Mandalay Division’s government said it is privatizing the tourist
exploitation of the historic Mandalay Palace complex, the abode of
Burma’s last kings, the Konbaung Dynasty.
In August, several firms were invited to submit a tender to manage
commercial exploitation and ticket sales at the famed Mandalay Palace
complex, said Nyo Myint Tun, a supervisor of Mandalay Division’s
archeological department, adding that no winner had been determined yet.
“This will be a step forward for the promotion of tourism. They
[private developers] will manage the area to create a fascinating
[setting] and they will also have the right to collect entrance fees,
manage the sightseeing around the palace and promote their services
through the media,” he told The Irrawaddy.
He said that the winning firm would invest in the development of
tourist facilities at the palace complex such as public gardens,
souvenir shops and restaurants.
Visitor facilities will be developed at main palace building (known
as Mya Nan San Kyaw, or Great Golden Royal Palace) and other sites such
as the stupas of King Mindon and his wives, the Royal Mint, and at the
large moat around the complex, Nyo Myint Tun added.
He said the Ministry of Culture’s archeological department would
maintain overall authority for the management of the palace and the
recreational park, and carry out maintenance and repairs at the Mandalay
Palace.
One businessman with knowledge of the bidding process said that Toe
Naing Mann, the son of Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann, was a contender
for the commercial development project. “U Toe Naing Man, son of Shwe
Man, could get it,” said the man, who declined to be named.
Shwe Mann’s two son, Toe Naing Mann and Aung Thet Mann, own a number
of companies in Burma, including the telecom firms E-lite and Redlink
Communications
The military’s Central Burma Command will retain its location in a
large compound situated in the Mandalay Palace complex. The dwellings
within military quarters have been in use since the British colonial era
and are reportedly in an extremely poor state after decades of neglect.
The Mandalay Palace was built in 1857 King Mindon of the Konbaung
Dynasty, a line of kings that ruled from 1752 to 1885. Their reign was
ended by the British colonial forces, which abolished Burma’s monarchy.
The complex was badly damaged during the heavy bombardments of
Mandalay during World War II. It was repaired and reconstructed in 1989,
shortly after Burma’s military came to power in a coup d’état.
The palace area is a major tourist draw for Mandalay and is likely to
experience a sharp increase in foreign tourist visitors, who have begun
flocking to Burma since its much-publicized democratic transition
began.
At the World Economic Forum Asia in Naypyidaw last week, the
government and the Asian Development Bank announced a Norway-funded $500
million master plan for the development of Burma’s tourism sector.
In expectation of the tourist industry boom authorities had already
begun raising the price of the entrance fees for the famed palace
complex, Nyo Myint Tun said — even before the development of tourist
facilities had started.
Previously, foreign visitors could visit the whole palace area for US
$10, but he said that per June 9 foreigners are expected to shell out
the same amount just to see the main palace building alone. Burmese
visitors pay a mere 200 kyat ($0.25) to see the building, he added.
Kyaw Lwin Oo, director general at the Ministry of Culture, said the
ministry had recently transferred the management of two other palaces,
Shwebo Yadanar Mingalar Palace and the Kanbawzathadi Palace, to the
governments of Sagaing Division and Pegu Division, respectively.
Like in Mandalay, the Sagaing and Pegu government might also try to
privatize the tourist exploitation of these lesser known palaces.
Shwebo Yadanar Mingalar Palace was reconstructed by Burma’s former
military junta in 1999 at the site of the abode of Alaung Min Taya, the
first ruler of the Konbaung Dynasty. The Kanbawzathadi Palace burned
down in 1599, and the junta oversaw its reconstruction in 1992.
source: The Irrawaddy
No comments:
Post a Comment